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Two men have been detained as a component of an probe into the dumping of several thousand of tons of waste in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Officials indicated that a 69-year-old was detained at a residence in the town of Andover, while a man in his fifties was detained in Slough in connection with the enormous mound of garbage deposited near Kidlington, Oxfordshire.

These arrests come after a previous investigation which exposed the existence of more than 500 unauthorized dumps in England, including at least 11 so-called "large-scale sites" larger than 20,000 metric tons.

A representative for the regulatory authorities stated that the apprehensions were for environmental and money laundering violations and were a "vital step" in ongoing investigations. The apprehended men have been released on bail.

Size of the Problem

The illegal site in near Kidlington, located between the River Cherwell and the A34 road, is thought to hold about 21,000 metric tons of waste in a heap which is up to 150m (490ft) lengthwise and 6m (20ft) in height.

This heap of rubbish is consists of what appears to be sorted domestic rubbish, chopped up plastics, Styrofoam, tires and various household items.

It constitutes just one of 517 unauthorized sites in the country, at least 11 of which hold in excess of 20,000 tonnes of waste. These encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne areas in Lancashire and Cornwall county and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The overall number of such major locations is probably to be greater, as the environmental body has in the past acknowledged it does not maintain records on weight for every unlawful site.

The majority such locations are in rural settings, often concealed, and on land that should be agricultural ground.

Organised Operations

Authorities state numerous are operated by criminal organizations, who are earning money by charging far less than licensed operators to take and dispose of waste.

Firms have to be liable for site fees to use lawful landfill sites, depending on the amount and nature of refuse they are trying to get rid of, and a waste tax is also levied at just over £126 per tonne.

Public Outrage

Preparatory work to clean up the affected dump began earlier this month due to concerns over the potential of fire and the effect that would have on the adjacent major road.

A contracted waste removal contractor has been granted the job to deal with the site over the following 12 months at a expense of £9.6m.

An compliance manager for the country's regulatory division said that the body would be seeking to claim back the clearance costs under confiscation laws from any individual found guilty at the end of its ongoing case.

She added that these detentions would help "move the inquiry forward" and permit the agency to "follow more lines of inquiry to ascertain exactly what transpired and who was implicated".

"The unlawful site at this location was an appalling and calculated affront on our natural surroundings and officials share the community's outrage at this horrific offence," she stated.

A cabinet minister praised the detentions, stating: "The unlawful deposit of waste at this location is utterly appalling and has resulted in substantial damage to the natural world and anguish to the surrounding residents.

"Our government is dedicated to eliminating this kind of criminality throughout the UK, by boosting financing to address waste crime, employing more staff and enacting more severe measures and sanctions for those who break the law."

The arrests were executed on the specified day by officers from a specialist crime squad and follow an prior apprehension of a 39-year-old from the Guildford region in November. He was released awaiting further inquiries.